Posted on 04/08/2006 4:37:43 PM PDT by Wristpin
Pit bulls on the loose went on a rampage Thursday and terrorized a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. The dogs escaped from their backyard at 53rd Street and Cedar Avenue and ran several blocks through the neighborhood, attacking several people. Their rampage ended with a policeman shooting one of the dogs.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbc10.com ...
My point was, there is no such thing as a golden lab. There are golden retrievers, and there are yellow labs.
susie
Sinkspur, the word rescue in this case refers to a place where the dogs go when there's no room left for them at the pound, with their owners, etc. These dogs are ALWAYS spayed and neutered, as anyone who runs a rescue would never want to contribute to the problem of overpopulation.
This woman has worked with many pit bulls and knows a great deal about them because that is what she does every day of her life. If anyone here is qualified to talk about the breed it would be her. I would think more people would pay attention to what she says, seeing as how she seems to have more experience with the breed than anyone else here.
justdeserts I hope you don't mind me butting in! Sometimes I can't wait for others to respond....
Wow, it must be a really smart gun. It can run down the street and kill someone.
Post #99...You can no more trust a gun-owner to safely contain their gun than you can a pit owner to safely contain their dog. </liblogic>
and you might want to take a look at this...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1611367/posts
Oh, my bad. I'm not that good with breeds, particularly the larger dogs, the smaller ones I'm a little better with recognizing. I don't get it. Are all labs retrievers making the point moot? Golden, yellow, what is the diff when it comes to dogs?
Thanks for the lesson. That does not look at all like my neighbor's chocolate lab. But then his lab doesn't quite look like the other colored ones should look. That is one big dog! But it has no long hairy spots like yours. Pretty dog and looks gentle!
Yup, labs don't have all that hair, golden retreivers do. Of course, there are big differences between dogs of the same breed (like your friend's lab). I know that I have people stop me on the street all the time and ask about my *tiny* goldens (who are within the standard for the breed) and tell me about their 100 lb golden retriever! Unless the dog is obese that is way oversize for the breed. But, in America, bigger is better! (sarcasm).
:)
susie
Oh, and I forgot to say, thanks, she's very sweet, but can be a knothead! Her name is Jocelyn, btw.
susie
They shouldn't vary so much, but I know they do. I don't know about the trends in Goldens, but the trend in Labs is that the field trial people keep breeding them BIGGER, and BIGGER. This is my late Black Lab Logan, who was actually borderline too big according to the standard, and he's next to a field-bred Chocolate that belonged to a friend.
He was a nice dog, but a huge gangly thing, and not near the intent of the standard. The lab is supposed to be a mid-sized gentleman's hunter, big enough to bring back large game birds, but small enough that a guy could pull him back into a duck boat after a retrieve. I wouldn't want to try to hoist that boy back into a small boat :~D
Wow, the opposite is true in goldens, the field dogs tend to be smaller. Like labs, you gotta be able to pull them into a boat! Nice looking labs tho. No reputable breeders (that I know of) are breeding for 100 lb goldens, but you know how it is (we've had this discussion before! ;)). If someone will pay $$ for it, someone will breed it. I've never had a golden who weighed over about 80 lbs, most of my girls run 55 to 60ish.
susie
The statement that pits were bred specifically to kill other dogs is a lie. A bold face lie. Emotionalism has nothing to do with anything. These dogs were ORIGINALLY bred to attack bulls, bears and other large animals. Not a damned thing in that article of "history" stating they were bred specifically to kill other dogs. If your comprehension was as good as your rhetoric, you would see further in the article PEOPLE decided to take advantage of the dog's traits and began fighting them. From the beginning of this breed, it has been the HUMANS, not the dogs, that have exploited the strengths of this damned fine breed. Even the ASPCA notes the problem lies with "uncaring and unscrupulous breeders". Tell the truth. You've bought the MSM BS hook line and sinker, Sink. I would bet a fortune the majority of the dogs that attack people or other animals are owned by irresponsible people or are not even full blooded pit bulls but rather some mix (which it is well documented many mixes are branded as pits and aren't).
I'm not afraid of my neighbor's chocolate lab, but it is simply too large for me to handle. It's hyper, too. They're building a new home way out so I haven't seen it lately. Once it got out, and I went looking for it because he had to work, and I think it would have gotten into my car. But that is 'nuther story. It had run clear across town from about 6AM and was in the pound by 9:30 or so. It cost $80 bucks to get it back out, but with all the busy streets it would have had to cross unless it went on the bike path, it was lucky it didn't get hit. I do like that one.
Actually I like most dogs so long as they belong to somebody else. I have had just one, a cocker airedale mix, hyper as he!!, and was always getting out. I never wanted another dog after we decided to give him away, kind of always felt guilty I did, but was pregnant with third child and neighbor called the cops. The kids would open the door and out he went.
That's one reason I'm leery about dangerous dogs. It's really easy for them to get out if you aren't super careful.
Yap, yap, yap. That's me today I guess. Sorry :-)
Their owners were crushed, and said what every pit owner always says "He's never done anything like that before."
I want no part of pits and it's why I carry a pistol with me when I walk my dogs now.
Dogs that are hyper or aggressive towards other dogs or people or likely to chase anything that moves are more liability than most people want. Pit Bulls, even the 'stable' ones, are just not for the average pet owner.
You should really know what you own....The "Pit" is in the name for a reason
In 1835, a law was set in motion that would make the sport of baiting illegal, and over the next few years, the activity eventually died down upon enforcement of the law. The people turned to another blood sport--that of dog fighting, and of course people looked to the bulldog as the likely choice for use in the fights. Selective breeding produced a bulldog with heightened dog-aggression, smaller size, and greater agility for performance in a pit that was decidedly smaller than the large areas that baits were typically held in. Hardy, scrappy sporting terriers were crossed into some of the fighting bulldogs to further enhance these traits. The crosses were called bull-and-terriers, half-and-halfs, and pit terriers. It is considered general knowledge that these crosses were the first Pit Bulls, however there is some speculation as to whether or not the history of these crosses is that of our Pit Bulls, or rather a history "borrowed" from the Bull Terrier, which is a documented bulldog/terrier fighting dog cross. Some students of Pit Bull history believe that the Pit Bull is practically a living replica of the old-time bulldog, and that during this time the bulldog was refined as a fighting dog ‘as is’, without any crossbreeding. The question presented is this: why would the devotees of the already extremely game bulldog dilute the blood of the perfect fighting dog with non-game terriers? The typical argument is that the terrier blood increased agility and decreased size. However, the jobs the bulldog was typically required to perform would have demanded agility and the ability to avoid the antics of an enraged bull. As already pointed out, bulldogs came in a variety of sizes and shapes, so breeding down the size to be more compatible with the pit would not have been a difficult task, even without looking outside the gene pool. Examining works of art from all points in history, one will discover dogs that look remarkably similar to today's Pit Bull. It is the opinion of the author, however, that, while the APBT is probably made up mostly of old bulldog blood, at least some terrier blood *was* indeed introduced, if only by virtue of the fact that quite a bit of cross-breeding went on among the gamedog fanciers of the time who were not so much interested in purebred dogs as they were in dogs with fighting ability, and would therefore breed accordingly to dogs that were game, regardless of pedigree.
The breed known as the American Pit Bull Terrier was selectively bred specifically with the idea of it becoming the ultimate canine gladiator. But by virtue of the fact that so much of the breed was made up of versatile bulldog blood, the breed also proved adept at a number of non-fighting activities, including those which the bulldog had been used for. Also, the traits (specifically gameness) bred for in pit dogs were surprisingly relevent in other arenas. Gameness is defined as the willingness to see a task through to its end, even under penalty of serious injury or death. Gameness was the trait most cherished in a fighting dog for obvious reasons, however this same trait proved useful in other areas--a dog who had the tenacity to hold a wild bull or boar, steadfastness to protect his master's home and property, and extreme tolerance for pain which made for a very stable dog less likely to bite out of fear or pain was terribly useful in rural old England. So while a core group of fanciers focused on the fighting uses of the breed, and bred with the pit in mind, still others kept dogs for bulldoggy tasks.
http://www.realpitbull.com/history.html
Sometimes you don't know with odd mixes until they get older. They didn't have dog obedience school back in those days that I knew about, I mean people didn't generally do that unless they were show dogs or something. I would take more care about Corky if I had him today; he never hurt anyone, but did love to run.
I would never own a pit and sure hope no one in my family gets one. My daughter and too many black labs is enough for me.
The point is one of personal responsibility and responsible ownership.
In both dog and gun ownership one of the pillars of responsible ownership is the securing or containing of your property.
Either piece of property, if out of your control, is a potential tragedy waiting to happen.
Liberals, socialists and nanny-staters do not trust the individual to be responsible.
The do not distinguish between responsible people and irresponsible ones.
They blame the object.
Their reaction is to ban everyone from owning what they perceive as the offending item.
They justify it the name of "the common good" as they see it.
The result is more government intrusion into the lives of responsible law-abiding citizens.
I really do not know why anyone would want the risk of owning one.
Like many of the risks in life the chance is of encountering this problem becomes infinitesimal when a person learns the risks, uses their common sense and acts responsibly.
HERE's the part our friend Sleightofthe Wristpin left out:
"Bulldogs were used for all manner of work, including baiting, fighting, stock work, hunting, and farm dog. They were an agreeable animal, capable of extreme ferociousness but unwavering loyalty and gentleness towards humans. They were an animal-aggressive breed, but were routinely used in pairs to bait animals and hunt, so overt aggression towards others of their same species was not an extreme trait.
So while a core group of fanciers focused on the fighting uses of the breed, and bred with the pit in mind, still others kept dogs for bulldoggy tasks.
In America, the Pit Bull flourished. It was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a wide variety of people. The Pit Bull was used to represent the US in WW1 artwork; popular companies like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Company used the breed as their mascots. A Pit Bull named Petie starred in the popular children's television series, Our Gang; a Pit Bull mix named Stubby became a decorated WW1 hero. Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer familes on their explorations. Laura Ingalls Wilder of the popular Little House books owned a working Pit Bulldog named Jack. Famous individuals like Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller owned the breed. It was during this time that the Pit Bull truly became America’s sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved.
This a weight pulling contest. This challenges the innate characteristics that these dogs possess, great strength, endurance, and gameness. Weight pulling contests are growing in popularity across the country.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
